Teaching Chess to Children - February2019

Teaching Chess to Children: A Course for Teachers

Ever wanted to introduce chess to your class or school? Not sure how to go about it? This course is your one-stop shop! You will learn:

· How to play chess, including all the rules people don’t usually know about;

· How to teach the game to young children using mini-games;

· Ideas about integrating chess with the curriculum, especially in numeracy;

· How to structure chess sessions and how to run competitions;

· Basic tactics and strategies of the game;

· How to open a game – what to aim for in you first ten moves;

· How to finish a game off: essential checkmates;

· What resources are available to improve your own and the children’s chess skills, and how you can take the game further.

The course will be facilitated by April Cronin, former Irish Ladies No. 1 chess player and (recently) retired principal teacher. April’s been teaching chess and running school chess clubs throughout her career and has a wealth of experience to share. The sessions will be active and engaging, with plenty of time given over to practising the concepts.

The course is suitable for both complete beginners and those who already know how to play. Even grandmasters might learn a thing or two!

Course will take place in Drumcondra Education Centre over 3 evenings - Thursday February 7th, 14th and 28th from 5 - 7pm each night.

Excerpt from full article which featured in the Irish Times of 27th November 2018

Up and down the country, other schools are embracing chess too and seeing the benefits among schoolchildren.

April Cronin, a retired primary school principal and former Irish chess champion, runs chess workshops for teachers in Dublin.

She has noticed social awkwardness becoming more prevalent in her chess clubs of late. It prompted her to teach basic social interactions during her chess lessons. “The first thing I taught them was how to actually shake somebody’s hand and look them in the eye. It was extraordinary how many children didn’t know how to do that,” she says.

Cronin also uses chess to teach children how to cope with disappointment and the importance of winning graciously. Unlike online games such as Fortnite, in chess there is no victory dance.

“In chess you respect your opponent,” says Cronin

Chess is also teaching children about impulse control, in both academic and behavioural terms. “On the chessboard, the person who plays the first move that comes into their head will almost certainly lose, said Cronin. “Chess motivates the highly impulsive child to stop and think.”